Manchester music promotors Open Beat have revealed the details for their first round of shows taking place later this year – and they’ve got a whole host of emerging Manchester-based talent to showcase.
Born from a love of the city’s music and everything it has to offer, Open Beat have spent two years developing a brand-new platform for up-and-coming musicians from in and around Manchester to play live and get their music heard.
Their inaugural series of events, ‘Open Beat Presents’ kicks off in August, with four initial dates taking us through to the end of the year.
The first, on Friday 20 August, will see The A.V. Club, The Demo and Rivet City take to the stage at the legendary Night & Day Café.
Warrington band The A.V. Club take inspiration from the soundtrack from hit Netflix show Stranger Things to create their own blend of modern indie-pop. Whilst the indie-rock sounds of The Demo and Rivet City will provide some variety to the night.
Some of Manchester’s biggest bands came through the Night & Day Café in their early years. So much so, the iconic venue has become somewhat of a rite of passage for new bands nowadays, making it the ideal venue for an Open Beat evening.
Next up, on August bank holiday Monday, will be a specially curated lineup from Manta at another iconic Manchester venue. This time, it’s Oldham Street’s The Castle Hotel that will open up its intimate setting for an evening of live music where you can really get behind these amazing new artists.
The Manta & Friends showcase will feature a selection of the best emerging artists from international music college BIMM Institute. Newcomers Sweets, Sam Brockett and Bluloom will join Manta for an exciting mix of music styles.
On Saturday 30 October, a Halloween special will take over Northern Quarter venue Off The Square.
The all-Manc lineup will see a headline set from Kosmonauts. Since their debut release in 2017, Kosmonauts have become known for their energetic style and honest “real-talk” song writing.
Pre-COVID, they had a strong run of sold-out shows and landed supporting slots for some big bands. Now, it’s their time to shine again.
Foxglove. Image: @ianthe.w/IG
They’ll have support on the night from Foxglove, a quirky four-piece who have already proven to be breath of fresh air, alongside Kestrel Palace, who will complete the bill with his thought-provoking lyrics and Oasis-inspired vibe.
The fourth gig remains under wraps for now. But we can tell you it’ll be held Gorilla in December. Organisers are promising a huge headliner for this one to close this first round of gigs, though. Keep your eyes peeled for another announcement very soon.
However, alongside their Open Beat Presents series, they will also be putting a special freshers all-dayer edition at Hatch on Thursday 23 September, in association with BIMM Institute.
There’ll be loads of live music from artists who are set to play in the Open Beat series. So, expect the return of Manta, The Demo and Foxglove. Plus, Minerva Daisy and Kid Blue will also appear, with music from Unity Radio and BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Jermaine Lee throughout the day, too.
All the usual independent Hatch food and drink vendors will be on hand to keep you topped up throughout the day. Tickets for this one are on sale here.
Head over to Open Beat’s Instagram here to stay up to date.
Featured image: Graham Binns
Gigs & Nightlife
A rising Manc musician is supporting a global popstar on tour in America
Danny Jones
Up-and-coming Greater Manchester musician Elliot James Reay, from just down the road in Bury, has just joined fellow rising solo artist and already established US superstar Benson Boone on his upcoming American tour.
Yes, a lad from Bury is opening for the bloke who belts out that ‘Beautiful Things’ tune that’s been stuck near the top of the charts for what feels like the last year.
Fittingly joining Boone for the US leg of his American Heart tour supporting his sophomore album of the same name, 23-year-old Elliot James Reay has already played a trio of shows warming up the crowds ahead of the headliner and is quickly gaining new fans across the pond.
Especially since his music harkens back to some of their most famous music icons of all time.
The youngster is still having to pinch himself at the mere notion of being on the road with such a big name so early in his career, posting on social media this week, “How do I explain this one to my friends back in Bury?
“A dream come true to be opening for Benson Boone in St Paul last night, I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to sing to you all and thank you for all the love you gave me!”
Roy Orbison-obsessed Raey – who also takes plenty of look and feel from the likes of Elvis and Billy Fury, among other old school, soulful American singers – has gone from releasing covers on YouTube to dropping his first-ever EP back in June and now playing full Stateside stadiums.
What a whirlwind journey it’s been for the local lad already.
The Manc songwriter and guitarist featured as one of our artists of the month last December, and we’re glad to see he’s only gone from strength to strength.
It’s fair to say that he’s matured a lot in the time since then, let alone the last 12 months or so, and booking a slot as a support act for as big as Benson Boone is right now is nothing short of huge.
We said late last year, and we’ll say it again: we see a bright future ahead for this talented young Macunian, and we wish him all the best for the dozen or so remaining US tour dates.
If you haven’t listened to his stuff before, you can get a little taste with his latest single HERE.
Or, if you want to take our advice, why not watch a great music video filmed around some very familiar city centre sites down below?
He’s certainly got his own style, even if it his heavily inspired by some of the greats.
Last night marked K-pop group ENHYPEN’s first-ever visit to Manchester, the UK and Europe as a whole, so it was no surprise the crowd was ready to get ‘Loose’ as they took to AO Arena.
The lights dimmed, the fans screamed, and it had finally dawned on Manchester that it was officially ‘En-O’Clock.‘
It’s a bouncy bassline, synth-stinted number also known as ‘Brought The Heat Back’ that kicks the show off, and on a day when our city was surprisingly warm, this three-minute performance was very fitting.
ENHYPEN performing ‘Loose’ for 21,000 fans at AO Arena in Manchester (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
‘Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)’ had the crowd quite literally jumping for joy, ‘Given-Taken’ saw a similar response, while a personal highlight was ‘Bite Me’.
With lyrics like “Come here and get some” and “Just come over and bite me”, this song follows a perfect pure-pop formula that works every time; it’s hard to ignore.
‘Your Eyes Only’, which makes reference to the previous hit “You can bite me / You can play me”. Did we like this song? “Ya, ya, ya, ya, ya” we did.
Disco belter ‘Sweet Venom’ had the crowd captivated for just under three minutes with its “Swe-hee-hee-t” earworm lyrics in every chorus.
K-pop boyband ENHYPEN played ‘Tamed-Dashed’ during their ‘Walk The Line’ tour at AO Arena in Manchester (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
An extended electronic synth introduction plays out as the staggered-vocal single, ‘XO (Only If You Say Yes)’ begins, and it’s easy to see why this is a fan favourite.
Whether it’s the fact that it has an easy-to-follow but incredibly addictive chorus or due to it featuring on the soundtrack for the Netflix rom-com and To All The Boys I Loved Before spin-off, XO, Kitty.
Following this was the 2010s-reminiscent ‘Bad Desire (With or Without You)’, which felt like a callback to ex-boyband star Justin Timberlake and his return with magnum opus ‘Mirrors’.
This song warranted such a roar of cheers and applause that the band decided to give it a second play later in the set, although this time they opted for the English version, which was equally appreciated.
All seven members of ENHYPEN interacting with fans during their Manchester show (Credit: BELIFT LAB)
During interactions with fans between songs, ENHYPEN discuss what they recognise Manchester for, stating, “This city is really famous for its football”.
Instead of declaring their support for the reds or blues, the band opted for a smart and conscious, “We’ll leave it there” – well played, boys.
‘Paranormal’ signalled that this night of incredible dance-packaged music was coming to an end, but ENHYPEN’s version of an encore is much different to any other musical act.
These seven singing sensations decided to play not just one or two songs before saying goodbye to the Manchester crowd, they opted for five plus – phenomenal.
Hannah Starkie -
10th June 2021 
